How to Evaluate Digital Converter Boxes

Cable boxes continue to be increasingly used in conjunction with home cable service. In response to this demand, cable providers continue to add more and more features to their cable boxes to maximize their customers' home TV-watching experience. Most of these features carry with them an extra charge on your monthly service rate, so if you wish to upgrade to a digital cable box, it is important to evaluate what type of box to get in terms of these features.

• 1

  Determine what audio/video connections are available on your TV and evaluate your provider's cable boxes accordingly. If your TV features an HDMI port, for instance, you will need to specify that you want an HD-capable converter box with an HDMI out port, as not all cable boxes feature these.

• 2

  Determine what size hard drive you will need in your cable box. Assuming you will be using DVR service with your cable box, you will need to specify to your provider what size hard drive your DVR will need to have. If you do not anticipate using your DVR very often, you need not request a larger hard drive. If you intend to use it frequently, it is worth your while to request one of the larger hard drive sizes. HD programming also takes up more hard drive space than does standard definition programming, so if you plan to watch and record lots of HD programming, it would be wise to request a larger hard drive size.

• 3

  Evaluate the cable box by examining what audio/video input connections are available on the box. Using one of these input connections on the box saves you from having to use one of the inputs on your TV, providing an easy way of integrating your entire home entertainment center with the cable box. The more devices you have in your home entertainment system, the more input connections it would be useful to have on the cable box, so evaluate this feature by asking the cable salesperson what connection options are available on all of the boxes offered.